Dr Simon Weir
Dr Simon Weir is an artist, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, and Associate Dean (Student Life) at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on the problems of producing great public architecture. This research has both theoretical and creative aspects.
- Surrealism, especially Dalí, Magritte and de Chirico.
- Aesthetic philosophy, especially object-oriented ontology.
- Classical architectural theory, including Vitruvius.
DESA3552 | Intensive Design Studio
BAEN2001 | Design Integration Lab: Materials
MARC6010 | Architecture Studio 3
Member of the International Society for the Study of Surrealism.
Member of the Editorial Collective of the International Journal of Surrealism.
- University of Sydney Strategic Education Grant 2024
- 2011 - Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Systems that Achieve Excellence in Teaching and Learning, The University of Sydney
Publications
Book Chapters
- Weir, S., Tiliopoulos, N. (2024). Liking like Likely: Applying Personality Traits Theory to the Design of Public Architecture. In Nikolina Bobic, Farzaneh Haghighi (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Architecture, Urban Space and Politics, Volume II, (pp. 186-199). London: Routledge London. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2018). Salvador Dali's Interiors with Heraclitus's Concealment. In Gregory Marinic (Eds.), The Interior Architecture Theory Reader, (pp. 195-201). Oxon: Routledge. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2018). The Arts of Architecture. In Andrew Leach, Lee Stickells (Eds.), Sydney School: Formative Moments in Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney, (pp. 59-70). Melbourne: Uro.
Journals
- Weir, S., Rich, S. (2024). Shipwreck Architecture: A Speculative Hauntography. Footprint, 18(2), 51-66. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2023). Domestic Hybrids: Vitruvius' Xenia, the Surrealist's Minotaure, and Shrigley's Octopus. Open Philosophy, 6(1). [More Information]
- Santamaria de Mingo, V., Weir, S. (2023). What Dali Owes La nature. Dada/Surrealism, 24(1), 1-21. [More Information]
Conferences
- Weir, S. (2022). Surrealist Ontographies; On Soft Watches as Ontographic Objects. ISSS SURREALISMS 2022 International Society for the Study of Surrealism Virtual Conference, Virtual: ISSS.
- Weir, S. (2021). Crisalida - Surreal, Therapeutic, Anti-constructionalist Paranoiac-Critical Architecture. Surrealisms: ISSS Surrealisms 2021, online: International Society for the Study of Surrealism.
- Weir, S. (2019). Masochistic Ensemble: Salvador Dali against Le Corbusier. Surrealisms: 2nd Conference of the International Society for the Study of Surrealism, England: University of Exeter.
Visual Art
- Anderson, R., Liu, K., Weir, S. (2013). A Room An Eye. In: Expanded Architecture At The Rocks. Sydney Architecture Festival. 136-138 Cumberland Street The Rocks, Sydney, Australia.
- Weir, S. (2011). Untitled 1-5. In: After Images. Sydney Architecture Festival 2011. Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Weir, S. (2005). 1 (degrees) C Spring - Hartz Mountains National Park. In: Glover Prize. The John Glover Society. Falls Park Pavilion, Evandale, Tasmania, Australia.
Textual Creative Works
- Weir, S. (2012). Delirious Catalysis. Horizonte | Zeitschrift fur Architekturdiskurs (Journal of Architectural Discourse), Ausgabe 05 Fruhjahr 2012, (pp. 123 - 128). Weimar, Germany: Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar.
Design or Architectural Works
- Heneghan, T., Weir, S., Dzonlagic, H., Seyama, S. (2008). Elevation. Phillip Cox Australian Pavilion S. Marco, 1364/ A 30124 Venezia, Italy: Australian Institute of Architects. Public international exhibition. Unrealized.
Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Weir, S. (2020). Ontological Withdrawal and the Symbols of Symbolism. Senzacornice, Rivista online di arte contemporanea e critica, 23, Simbolo. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2019). Approaching Arata Isozaki. ARCSpace. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2014). Enduring beauties: when buildings look good for their age. The Conversation.
Other
- Weir, S. (2020), "Object Oriented Ontology and the Challenge of the Corinthian Capital", Make Sense 2020,,Harvest, Sydney, p.114-116.. [More Information]
2024
- Weir, S., Tiliopoulos, N. (2024). Liking like Likely: Applying Personality Traits Theory to the Design of Public Architecture. In Nikolina Bobic, Farzaneh Haghighi (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Architecture, Urban Space and Politics, Volume II, (pp. 186-199). London: Routledge London. [More Information]
- Weir, S., Rich, S. (2024). Shipwreck Architecture: A Speculative Hauntography. Footprint, 18(2), 51-66. [More Information]
2023
- Weir, S. (2023). Domestic Hybrids: Vitruvius' Xenia, the Surrealist's Minotaure, and Shrigley's Octopus. Open Philosophy, 6(1). [More Information]
- Santamaria de Mingo, V., Weir, S. (2023). What Dali Owes La nature. Dada/Surrealism, 24(1), 1-21. [More Information]
2022
- Weir, S., Harman, G. (2022). Object-Oriented Ontology in the Design Studio: A Dialogue Between Simon Weir and Graham Harman Across Architecture and Philosophy. Architecture and Culture, 10(2), 226-242. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2022). Salvador Dali in Rem Koolhaas' Delirious New York. The Journal of Architecture, 27(2-3), 398-419. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2022). Surrealist architecture: Dali's 1958 Crisalida, San Francisco. Journal of Surrealism and the Americas, 13(1), 112-131. [More Information]
2021
- Weir, S., Harman, G. (2021). Architecture and object-oriented ontology. Architecture and Philosophy (Ap), (5), 2-56.
- Weir, S. (2021). Crisalida - Surreal, Therapeutic, Anti-constructionalist Paranoiac-Critical Architecture. Surrealisms: ISSS Surrealisms 2021, online: International Society for the Study of Surrealism.
- Weir, S., Hill, G. (2021). Making space for degenerate thinking: revaluing architecture with Friedrich Nietzsche. ARQ: Architectural Research Quarterly, 25(2), 125-132. [More Information]
2020
- Weir, S. (2020), "Object Oriented Ontology and the Challenge of the Corinthian Capital", Make Sense 2020,,Harvest, Sydney, p.114-116.. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2020). Art and Ontography. Open Philosophy, 3(1, Object-Oriented Ontology and its Critics), 400-412. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2020). Living and Nonliving Occasionalism. Open Philosophy, 3(1 Object-Oriented Ontology and its Critics), 147-160. [More Information]
2019
- Weir, S. (2019). Approaching Arata Isozaki. ARCSpace. [More Information]
- Weir, S. (2019). Masochistic Ensemble: Salvador Dali against Le Corbusier. Surrealisms: 2nd Conference of the International Society for the Study of Surrealism, England: University of Exeter.
- Weir, S., Dibbs, J. (2019). The Ontographic Turn: From Cubism to the Surrealist Object. Open Philosophy, 2(1), 384-398. [More Information]
2018
- Weir, S. (2018). Dali's Surrealist Architectural Predictions. Cathedral Thinking Symposium, Sydney: SADP University of Sydney.
- Weir, S., Wozniak-O'Connor, D., Watt, R., Reinhardt, D., Fernando, S., Dibbs, J. (2018). Design and Fabrication of a ruled surface vault with the Exquisite Corpse. Nexus Network Journal, 20(3), 723-740. [More Information]
- Weir, S., Wozniak-O'Connor, D., Watt, R., Masuda, R. (2018). Exquisite Corpse Vault. ADR18: Annual Design Research Conference, Sydney: Sydney University Press.
2017
- Weir, S. (2017). On the origin of the architect: Architects and xenia in the ancient Greek theatre. Interstices: Journal of Architecture & Related Arts, 17, 9-15. [More Information]
- Fernando, S., Reinhardt, D., Weir, S. (2017). Simulating Self Supporting Structures: A Comparison study of Interlocking Wave Jointed Geometry using Finite Element and Physical Modelling Methods. ShoCK! - Sharing of Computable Knowledge - Proceedings of the 35th International Con ference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe, Rome: eCAADe (Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe.
- Fernando, S., Reinhardt, D., Weir, S. (2017). Waterjet and Wire-Cutting Workflows in Stereotomic Practice. 22nd International Conference for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA 2017), Hong-Kong: Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA).
2016
- Weir, S., Moult, D., Fernando, S. (2016). Stereotomy of Wave Jointed Blocks: Toward a Wave-Jointed Stone Construction Using Wire Cutter Toolpath Generation. In Dagmar Reinhardt, Rob Saunders, Jane Burry (Eds.), Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design 2016, (pp. 285-293). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
2015
- Fernando, S., Saunders, R., Weir, S. (2015). Digital stereotomy - The rejuvenation of stone masonry. 16th International Conference, CAAD Futures 2015: The Next City: New technologies and the future of the build environment, Sao Paulo, Brazil: Ficha Catalografica Elaborara Pela Biblioteca Da Area De Engenharia e Arquitetura - Bae - Unicamp.
- Fernando, S., Saunders, R., Weir, S. (2015). Surveying stereotomy: Investigations in arches, vaults and digital stone masonry. Future of Architectural Research: ARCC 2015 Conference, Chicago: Perkins+Will.
- Weir, S. (2015). Xenia in Vitruvius' Greek house: andron, eivia and xenia from Homer to Augustus. The Journal of Architecture, 20(5), 868-883. [More Information]
2014
- Weir, S. (2014). Enduring beauties: when buildings look good for their age. The Conversation.
2013
- Anderson, R., Liu, K., Weir, S. (2013). A Room An Eye. In: Expanded Architecture At The Rocks. Sydney Architecture Festival. 136-138 Cumberland Street The Rocks, Sydney, Australia.
- Weir, S. (2013). On the Ability to Disable - Provocations Advocating the Necessity of Philosophy in Design Studios. 7th International Conference of the Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia, Melbourne, Australia: National Library of Australia.
2012
- Weir, S. (2012). Dali, Le Corbusier and the Presence of Technology. 38th Annual ICOHTEC Conference, Warsaw, Poland: International Commitee for the History of Technology.
- Weir, S. (2012). Delirious Catalysis. Horizonte | Zeitschrift fur Architekturdiskurs (Journal of Architectural Discourse), Ausgabe 05 Fruhjahr 2012, (pp. 123 - 128). Weimar, Germany: Bauhaus-Universitat Weimar.
- Weir, S. (2012). On the Edibility of Theatres. In Dagmar Reinhardt (Eds.), Youtopia. A Passion for the Dark: Architecture at the Intersection of Digital Processes and Theatrical Performance, (pp. 35-42). Melbourne, Australia: Freerange Press.
2011
- Weir, S. (2011). Untitled 1-5. In: After Images. Sydney Architecture Festival 2011. Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
2009
- Weir, S. (2009). Being Preseen: Marion, Academicism and Architecture. Architecture and Phenomenology, Japan: Kyoto Seika University.
- Weir, S. (2009). The Nearness of Texture: Apparent Depth in the Oil Paintings of Velazaquez & Raphael. AIC 2009 11th Congress of the International Colour Association, Sydney, Australia: The Colour Society of Australia, Inc.
2008
- Heneghan, T., Weir, S., Dzonlagic, H., Seyama, S. (2008). Elevation. Phillip Cox Australian Pavilion S. Marco, 1364/ A 30124 Venezia, Italy: Australian Institute of Architects. Public international exhibition. Unrealized.
2007
- Weir, S. (2007). "To Look is to Invent": Speculations on the Influence of Salvador Dalà in the Work of Rem Koolhaas. 24th International Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ 2007), Adelaide: Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand.
2005
- Weir, S. (2005). 1 (degrees) C Spring - Hartz Mountains National Park. In: Glover Prize. The John Glover Society. Falls Park Pavilion, Evandale, Tasmania, Australia.
2004
- Weir, S. (2004). 1. Body 2. Summer Horizons 3. Everytime i close my eyes. In: Body and Soul. Global Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Weir, S. (2004). 1. Michelangelo & Muse. In: Body & Soul. Global Gallery, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
- Weir, S. (2004). Untitled 1-10. In: Summer Horizons: new works by Simon Weir. Global Gallery. Global Gallery, 5 Comber St, Paddington, 2021, Sydney, Australia.
2003
- Weir, S. (2003). 1. Everytime I Close My Eyes 1 2. Everytime I Close My Eyes 2 3. Apparition of Lovers 4. Myth Free 1 5. Myth Free 2 5. Nude 6. Walking Meditation 7. Wishing Well 8. Untitled Landscape 1 9. Untitled Landscape 2 10. Untitled Landscape 3 11. The Bard 1 12. The Bard 2 13. The Bard 3 14. Otis with the Fishing Hook 15. Leon by the Road. In: Everytime I close My Eyes. Global Gallery, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
2023: “Co-creative AI in the Architecture Studio,” Association of Architecture Schools of AustralasiaTeaching and Learning Research Grant